


Ketterdam High Rainbow Alliance:year one

by providing_leverage



Category: Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, GSA, gay straight alliance au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2019-08-24
Packaged: 2020-09-25 10:35:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20375350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/providing_leverage/pseuds/providing_leverage
Summary: SPOILER WARNING FOR KING OF SCARSnothing to major but they're there"Sometimes I wish there was a way to meet other queer people in real life." She'd said out of the blue. "Not that you're not great babe, and I know I have so many friends online that aren't straight too, but…"Matthias nodded in understanding. "It's not the same." He pursed his lips, not liking Nina being unhappy. "Why don't you start a club?"





	Ketterdam High Rainbow Alliance:year one

**Author's Note:**

  * For [EclipseAndHerBooks](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EclipseAndHerBooks/gifts).

> Written for the August challenge on the Leigh Bardugo Amino which was high school au
> 
> Again, spoiler warning for king of scars  
I'll put everyone's age/grade and orientation in the bottom notes

It was actually Matthias' idea. They'd been at her house, supposedly studying. Really, he'd been studying, Nina had been messing around on Instagram.

"Sometimes I wish there was a way to meet other queer people in real life." She'd said out of the blue. "Not that you're not great babe, and I know I have so many friends online that aren't straight too, but…"

Matthias nodded in understanding. "It's not the same." He pursed his lips, not liking Nina being unhappy. "Why don't you start a club?"

It hadn't been as simple as that of course. Principal Lantsov had been more than happy to give them the permission. The problem had been finding a teacher or staff member willing to be their sponsor, and enough members.

But it was Nina, and when she had made up her mind about something happening, it was happening.

Miss Safin was willing, but had her hands full with the science club. She'd directed them to Miss Nazyalen, the terrifying Russian teacher. 

To their surprise, she had agreed. Nina has been a bit discouraged, but they didn't exactly have a lot of options.

"Who's going to want to come when our sponsor is the most feared teacher in the school?"

Matthias had assured her that it would be fine, but couldn't get her words out of his head.  _ Most feared teacher in the school. _

The next day during lunch he'd steeled his nerves and prayed the rumors were true. 

He'd found Kaz Breaker, the most feared kid in their school, eating lunch on the roof. There were rumors that he ran a gang, and was heavily involved in drug dealing. Also that he'd spent a year in juvie for arson, and the reason he always wore gloves to cover the burn scars on his hands. 

Matthias had convinced him to sign on as the S in GSA. 

Kaz had also surprisingly brought in Inej Ghafa, who was bi curious. He'd been shocked to find out they spent lunch together feeding the birds on the roof of the school.

Inej was the last person you'd think would be friends with Kaz. She was also quiet and didn't interact with many people, but was sweet and kind and not scary. Matthias knew from Nina who sat next to her in English, that Inej had been raised in a traveling circus and homeschooled most of her life. She'd temporarily moved in with a relative for her junior and senior years, wanting them to be in an actual school. Kaz had apparently been Inej's first friend here, as they lived in the same neighborhood.

It had been Inej's idea to put an add in the school newspaper, which she was an editor for. 

It named their club as the Ketterdam High Rainbow Alliance, because Nina had decided Gay Straight Alliance didn't sound inclusive enough. The add also included their meeting times as Monday during lunch and Wednesday's from three thirty to four thirty. 

The first meeting had been a Wednesday. Nina and Matthias, as the co presidents, were there of course, along with Kaz and Inej. They'd pulled chairs into a circle in the front and Nina had raised her wooden hammer (she had insisted) to bring the meeting to order when the door had swung open to reveal a tentative looking Wylan Van Eck. 

The junior had spent the entire first meeting twitchy, and looking like he was going to bolt at the smallest noise. He barely said a thing, and Nina had to ask him to speak up when it was his turn to say his name and pronouns. All the while he'd been glancing back at Miss Nazyalen, who was grading papers, as if afraid she would turn into a dragon and eat him. 

But he'd come back the next Monday during lunch.

The second meeting was more successful than the first, thanks mostly to Jesper Fahey, their schools varsity linebacker and all around sports star. He played basically every sport the school offered, and excelled in all of them. 

He'd come in like a wrecking ball (dang Nina for making him listen to that song) and plopped his lanky form into a chair, sprawling out dramatically. 

"I'm Jesper, he/him, very into girls and boys." He'd winked at Wylan, causing the younger boy to blush. 

That had been them for the next several months. The six of them, except for when Jesper had after school practice or the two weeks Wylan got suspended during November for "accidentally" blowing up part of the chem lab. It would have been longer, but Miss Safin talked the principal out of it because she was so impressed. 

They settle into a routine. Nina and Jesper are the most vocal, and oftentimes rant about the most random things. Matthias, Inej, and Wylan interjecting occasionally. Kaz stays mostly quiet, occasionally chipping in with a withering comment or a bit of dark humor. 

Sometimes they’ll talk about real issues, but most often it’s gossip or help with homework. Once Nina puts on music and they dance for an hour. Kaz is a monopoly master, and Inej in unbeatable at twister. Jesper and Wylan flirt like there’s no tomorrow, and even though they never make an official announcement, everyone can tell they’re dating. The day Wylan comes in wearing Jesper’s varsity jacket, Nina squeals and Inej wins fifteen dollars from Kaz. 

No one blinks twice the day in October, two months since the club began, Kaz stands up and announces that he’s asexual and demiromantic. Matthias has to look it up later, and comes into the next meeting with purple, white, and grey frosted cupcakes in support. 

And then again the next week because Inej stood up halfway through her cupcake and comes out as biromantic and grey ace. 

Eventually their numbers expand to incorporate Kaz and Inej’s “gang” which is really just a group of other kids from their neighborhood. The two girls are dating and the three boys were lured by promises of snacks. 

Kuwei Yul-Bo transfers to their school two weeks before Christmas break. It takes everyone a bit to warm up to him, especially Wylan. The boy is a point of contention in his and Jesper’s relationship that makes everything a bit weird for a bit. But they carry on. 

Then over break, Nina and Matthias get in several arguments over how overprotective he can be. She calls it possessive, he lets his anger get the best of them, they don't talk to each other for two weeks. He deletes Instagram (which he had only gotten because of her in the first place) the day before they get back from break, after Nina posts a picture of her kissing a pretty girl on the cheek, with a caption that reads something about first dates and new starts. 

He skips the lunch meeting the first Monday back, and the after school Wednesday meeting both because he doesn't want to face Nina, and because while allies were welcome, he was straight and it was  _ her  _ space, her club. She did most of the talking, kept the conversation flowing. 

Inej and Wylan find him on Thursday and demand to know why he hasn’t been showing up. When he explains that he doesn't feel welcome now, they sit down and explain that the past few meetings have sucked without him. 

“You’re always there, a silent comfort to us all. You're our anchor, and without you, we’re all adrift. And you're the only one of us who can make cupcakes. For all that Nina loves to eat, that girl can not bake to save her life. Please, Matthias, you are as much our leader as Nina, straight or not.” Inej says.

Monday, he walks into room 304 with his head held high, a tupperware of cookies in hand. 

It’s weird and awkward at first, especially when Hanne, Nina’s kind-of girlfriend, joins the club. 

But for the sake of everyone, the two of them learn to be civil. He makes his customary “coming out cupcakes” decorated with rainbow frosting and sprinkles when Hanne comes out offically as queer, just as he does for everyone. 

Life moves on. Matthias asks out the girl from his physics class, they go on a single awkward date. At a house party Jesper somehow convinces him to go to, he gets drunk and makes out with some baseball player because why not try it at least once? It’s okay, but <strike>its not Nina</strike> he’s still straight. 

Sometime in February, Nina and Hanne end their kinda relationship and Hanne stops coming to meetings, which he can tell makes his ex girlfriend feel really bad. Because Hanne might have only started coming because of Nina, but she had really flourished here.

So Matthias uses brownies to bribe her address out of Jesper who worked with her on an English project a few weeks before, and pays her a visit. 

Just as he expected, Hanne is very nervous about returning to the group led by her ex.

"I just...feel like everyone will blame me. I know I broke up with her, and I hurt her a lot,and I deserve their contempt and to feel this guilty, but still…"

"I completely understand. When we broke up I was hesitant to return for much the same reason. But everyone in the club is valued. It's not the same with even one of us gone. And maybe it's awkward at first, but you can push through it. You and Nina were good friends, don't make the mistake of throwing that away just because you didn't work romantically like I almost did."

"You're right. But Matthias, I feel like you should know. The reason I broke up with Nina? She talks about you all the time, but most of all, when you're in a room it's like everyone else disappears. She still adores you."

Hanne returns to their meetings, and Matthias thinks constantly about her words, and Nina. Normal.

Nina asks him to the spring formal, but only as friends. But they kiss. They dance around each other for another week before sitting down and talking about it, really talking about it.

During the next meeting they walk in holding hands. A few people groan, others cheer. Money definitely is passed around. 

_ Of course _ there was a bet going around about them. Matthias is not surprised, but he also kind of wants to strangle them all.

But that's what it's like to have a family.

**Author's Note:**

> Matthias: straight, senior  
Nina: bi, senior  
Wylan:gay, technically a sophomore but does senior level science classes cause he's smart  
Jesper: bi, junior  
Inej: bi romantic grey ace, junior  
Kaz: asexual Demi romantic, junior  
Hanne: senior, queer


End file.
